
Six Who Pass While 
The Lentils Boil 

BY STUART WALKER 



STEWART KIDD 

•MODERN PLAYS 

EDITED BV FRANK SHAY 




The Portmanteau Plays 

BY STUART WALKER 

Edited and with an introduction by Edward Hale Bierstadt 



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Vol. 1— Portmanteau Plays 

Introduction 

The Trimplet 

Nevertheless 

Six Who Pass While the Lentils Boil 

Medicine Show 

Vol. 2 — More Portmanteau Plays 

Introduction 

The Lady of the Weeping Willow Tree 

The Very Naked Boy 

Jonathan Makes a Wish 

To be issued shortly 

Vol. 3 — Portmanteau Adaptations 

Introduction 

Gammer Gurton's Needle 

The Birthday of the Infanta 

"Seventeen" 

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Publishers Cincinnati, U. S. A. 



STEWART KIDD MODERN PLAYS 
Edited by Frank Shay 



SIX WHO PASS WHILE THE 
LENTILS BOIL 



Stewart Kidd Modern Plays 

Edited by Frank Shay 

A I \) MEET the immensely increased de- 
-■- mands of the play-reading public and those 
interested in the modern drama, Stewart & Kidd 
Company are issuing under the general editor- 
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SHAM, a Social Satire in One Act. 
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Originally produced by Sam Hume, at the 
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THE SHEPHERD IN THE DISTANCE, 

a Pantomime in One Act. By Holland Hudson. 
Originally produced by the Washington Square 
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MANSIONS, a Play in One Act. 
By Hildegarde Flanner. 

Originally produced by the Indiana Little 
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Originally produced by the Fireside Players, 
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Six Who Pass While 
The Lentils Boil 



BY 



STUART WALKER 

Author of Portmanteau Plays and More Portmanteau Plays 



igi*ua*M.4iaij| 


m 


CINCINNATI. U & A. 



CINCINNATI 

STEWART KIDD COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 



<9&*i 



Copyright, 1921 
STEWART KIDD COMPANY 



All Rights Reserved 
Copyright in England 



This play is fully protected by copyrights. All public 
performances are forbidden. All dramatic and produc- 
ing rights are retained by Stuart Walker, who may be 
addressed at 304 Carnegie Hall, New York City. 



MAR 26 1921 

©C1A612304 






It is advisable in presenting Six Who Pass to precede 
the play with the Prologue to The Portmanteau Theatre, 
which is to be found in Portmanteau Plays by Stuart 
Walker. 

A delightful evening of plays can be made up of (i) 
The Prologue to the Portmanteau Theatre, (2) The 
Trimplet, (3) Nevertheless or The Very Naked Boy 
or The Medicine Show, (4) Six Who Pass While the 
Lentils Boil. All these plays can be found in Port- 
manteau Plays or More Portmanteau Plays by 
Stuart Walker, published by Stewart Kidd Company. 

It is advisable in playing Six Who Pass not to at- 
tempt any sort of mechanical arrangement of the But- 
terfly. A personification of it would be even more dis- 
tracting. The best plan to follow is to have a stationary, 
large butterfly poised somewhere near the windows in the 
back wall of the kitchen. 



SIX WHO PASS WHILE THE 
LENTILS BOIL 

First performance at Christodora House, New York City, 
July 14, 191 5 

Prologue to the Theatre Hugh Dillman 

Prologue to the Play Henry Kiefer 

The Device-Bearer Edmond Crenshaw 

In the Audience Francis Stevens 

The Boy James W. Morrison 

The Queen Judith Lowry 

The Mime Richard Farrell 

The Milkmaid Nancy Winston 

The Blindman Joseph Graham 

The Ballad-Singer Tom Powers 

The Headsman McKay Morris 

At this performance, which was not open to the pub- 
lic, Oscar Craik manipulated the mechanism of the 
Butterfly. At later performances it was decided to avoid 
this disturbing element in so simple a play, and ever after 
the Butterfly poised where he could see and hear, but 
not distract. 

First public performance at Jordan Hall, Boston, 
Massachusetts, February 14, 1916, and at the 39th 
Street Theatre, New York City, November 27, 191 6. 

Prologue to the Theatre Florence Wollersen 

Prologue to the Play Lew Medbury 

The Device-Bearer Edmond Crenshaw 

In the Audience Agnes Rogers 

The Boy Gregory Kelly 

The Queen Judith Lowry 

The Mime Wilmot Heitland* 

The Milkmaid Nancy Winston 

The Blindman Edgar Stehli 

The Ballad-Singer Stuart Walker 

The Headsman McKay Morris 

• Played in New York by Willard Webster. When the play was "revived" 
in Indianapolis and Chicago in 191 7, the Headsman was played by George 
Gaul. 

6 



The Boy 

The Queen 

The Mime 

The Milkmaid 

The Blindman 

The Ballad-Singer 

The Dreadful Headsman 

You {in the audience) 

The Scene is a kitchen 

The Period is when you will 



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II 



SIX WHO PASS WHILE THE 
LENTILS BOIL 

[Before the opening of the curtains the Prologue 
enters upon the forestage and summons the 
Device-Bearer, who carries a large copper pot.] 

PROLOGUE 

This is a copper pot. (The Device-Bearer 
shows it to the audience carefully) It is filled 
with boiling water. (The Device-Bearer makes 
the sound of bubbling water) It is on the fire. 
See the flames. ( The Device-Bearer sets the 
pot in the center of the forestage and blows un- 
der it with a pair of bellows) And see the 
water boiling over. (The Device-Bearer again 
makes the sound of bubbling water and then 
withdraws to where he can see the play from 
the side of the forestage) We are looking into 
the kitchen of the Boy, whose mother left him 
alone. I do not know where she has gone, but 
I do know that he is gathering lentils now. 

YOU 

What are lentils? 

PROLOGUE 

A lentil? Why, a lentil, don't you see, is not 
a bean nor yet a pea; but it is kin to both. . . 
You must imagine that the boy has built the fire 
and set the water boiling. He is very indus- 
trious, but you need not feel sorry for him. His 

9 



SIX WHO PASS 



mother is very good to him and he is safe. Are 
you ready now?. . .Very well. Be quiet. (The 
Prologue claps his hands twice. The curtains 
open and a kitchen is disclosed. There are a 
bench, a stool, and a cupboard. A great door 
at the bach opens into a corridor. There are 
also two windows — one higher than the other 
looking upon the corridor. At the right a door 
opens into the bedroom of the Boy's mother. 
A great pewter spoon lies upon the shelf in the 
cupboard. A large Butterfly comes in through 
the doorway, flits about and looks of stage. 
The song of the Boy is heard from the garden. 
The Butterfly goes to the door, poises a mo- 
ment, then alights on the cupboard. The Boy 
enters with a great bowl filled with lentils. The 
Butterfly flies to the bowl and, satisfied, returns 
to the cupboard. The Boy smiles at the Butter- 
fly, but he does not touch him. Then he emp- 
ties the lentils into the pot and water splashes 
on his careless hand. A moan is heard in the 
distance. The Boy and the Butterfly go to the 
door. The Queen's voice is heard calling:) 
Butterfly, Butterfly, where shall I hide? (En- 
ter the Queen.) 

QUEEN 

Boy, Boy — oh, I am distraught! 

YOU 

What is distraught? 

PROLOGUE 

Distraught means distracted, perplexed, beset 
with doubt, worried by some fear. 

boy (pityingly) 

Why are you distraught? 

10 



WHILE THE LENTILS BOIL 

QUEEN 

Oh — oh — oh — They are going to behead me ! 

BOY 

When? 

QUEEN 

Before mid-day. 

BOY 

Why are they going to behead you? Is it a 

story? Tell it to me. 
QUEEN 

I was guilty of a breach of etiquette. 
BOY 

What is that? 

QUEEN 

I did something that was considered bad man- 
ners, and the law says the punishment is decapi- 
tation. 

YOU 

What is decapitation? 

PROLOGUE 

Decapitation is beheading — cutting off one's 
head. 

BOY 

Why, only kings and queens can be decapitated. 

QUEEN 

Oh, I know — I know — 
BOY (disappointed) 

Are you a queen ? 
QUEEN 

Yes. 

BOY 

I thought all queens were big. My mother says 
they are always regal. And my mother knows 
1 1 



SIX WHO PASS 



QUEEN 

Oh, I am the queen. / am the queen; but I 

am so unhappy. 
BOY 

My mother told me kings and queens knew no 

fear. Why, you're afraid ! 
QUEEN 

Oh, Boy, Boy, I am your queen, and I am afraid 

and unhappy. And queens are just like other 

people when they are afraid and unhappy. 
BOY (disappointed) 

Aren't they always regal? 
QUEEN 

No — no. Oh, little boy, hide me ! Hide me 
from the Dreadful Headsman ! 
BOY 

I haven't any place to hide you. You couldn't 
get under the bench, and you couldn't get into 
the cupboard. 

QUEEN 

Little boy, can't you see that I shall lose my 
head if I am found? 

BOY 

You might have hidden in the pot if I hadn't 
put it on the fire. 

QUEEN 

Oh— Oh— Oh— 

BOY 

I'm sorry. 
QUEEN 

I am distraught. 
BOY 

Well, I'll hide you because you are distraught; 
12 




• i^- ; 





WHILE THE LENTILS BOIL 

but — I am not sure you are a queen. . . . 
Where's your crown? You can't be a queen 
without a crown ! (She reaches up to her head.) 

QUEEN 

Oh, I was running so fast that it must have 
slipped from my head. (Sees the Butterfly) 
Butterfly, tell him I am your Queen. (The But- 
terfly flies to her head and lights on her dis- 
heveled locks like a diadem.) 

BOY 

Oh, I have talked to the Queen ! . . . You 
can hide in my mother's bed-room in there; but 
first please tell me a story. 

QUEEN 

They will find me here. I'll tell you a story 
afterward. 

BOY 

I want you to tell me now. 

QUEEN 

Well, you watch at the door and warn me when 
you see someone coming. (The Butterfly 
brushes her ear) But stay, the Butterfly says 
he'll watch. (The Butterfly goes to the door.) 

BOY 

Will he know? 

QUEEN 

Oh, yes. He is a wonderful butterfly — wise 
beyond his years. 

BOY 

Sit down and tell me your story. (He places 
a black pillow for the Queen on the step and an 
orange pillow for himself.) 

13 



SIX WHO PASS 



QUEEN 

Last night we celebrated the second year of 
peace with the neighboring kingdom. We were 
dancing the minuet just after the banquet, when 
I stepped on the ring-toe of my husband, the 
King's great-aunt. 

BOY 

Didn't you say excuse me? 

QUEEN 

It was useless. The law says that if a queen 
steps on the ring-toe of the King's great-aunt 
or any member of her family the Queen must 
be beheaded while the King's four clocks are 
striking twelve at mid-day. 

BOY 

Oh, that means to-day? 

QUEEN 

Yes. 

BOY 

Why, it's almost mid-day now. See, I've just 

set the lentils boiling. 
QUEEN 

If you can hide me until after the King's four 

clocks strike twelve I shall be safe. 
BOY 

Why are there four clocks'? 

QUEEN 

Because the law allows only one clock for each 
tower in the castle. 

BOY. 

Then I hear all the King's clocks every day! 
There's a big clock, and two clocks not so big, 
and a tiny little clock. 

14 



WHILE THE LENTILS BOIL 

QUEEN 

Yes, those are the four. 

BOY 

Why will you be safe after the four clocks strike 
twelve ? 

QUEEN 

Because that is the law. 

BOY 

Aren't laws funny? 

QUEEN 

Funny? This one is very sad, I think. 

BOY 

Mightn't it be twelve any mid-day? 

QUEEN 

No ; the Prime Minister of my grandfather who 
passed the law decided that it meant only the 
following mid-day. 

BOY 

(rising and rushing to the door) They'll find 
you here. 

QUEEN 

(rising calmly) Oh, no ; this is the short cut to 
the beheading block. Through that corridor. 

BOY 

Why didn't you run the other way? 

QUEEN 

Because they always search for escaped people 
in that direction. So I ran through your gar- 
den and into this room. They'll never search 
for me so close to the castle. 
BOY 

How did you escape? 

15 



SIX WHO PASS 



QUEEN 

I — (The Butterfly seems agitated.) 
BOY 

You— 

QUEEN 

Someone is coming! Hide me! 

BOY 

In here — in my mother's room. 'Sh ! 'Sh ! 
( The Queen goes out. Enter the Mime. He 
pokes his head in the lower window and peeps 
around the door. The boy turns.) 
BOY (weakly) 

Are you the Dreadful Headsman? 

MIME 

What? 
BOY 

Are you the Dreadful Headsman? 

MIME 

Do I look like a headsman? 
BOY 

I don't know; I've never seen one. 

MIME 

Well, suppose I am? 
BOY 

Are you ? 

MIME 

Maybe I am. 

BOY 

Oh! 

MIME 

Booh! 

BOY 

I'm — I'm — not afraid. 
16 



WHILE THE LENTILS BOIL 

MIME 

Bah! 

BOY 

And my mother isn't here. 

MIME 

Br — r — r — r ! (The Boy reaches for his knife.) 

MIME 

Bing! 

BOY 

I wasn't going to hurt you ! 

MIME 

'Sh...'Sh...'Sh!... 

BOY 

I'll give you my knife if you'll go 'way. 
MIME 

Ah— ha ! 

BOY 

It's nearly mid-day and you'd better go. 

MIME 

Well, give me the knife. 
BOY 

Promise me to go. 

MIME 

(laughs, turning away) Aren't you going to 

the beheading? 
BOY 

No. I have to boil the lentils for our mid-day 
meal. 

MIME 

May I come back and eat some? 

BOY 

You'll have to ask my mother. 
17 



SIX WHO PASS 



MIME 

Where is she? 

BOY 

She's over that way. She went to the market 
to buy a bobbin. 
YOU 

What is a bobbin? 

PROLOGUE 

A bobbin is a spool upon which thread is wound, 
and it is sharp at one end so that it can be easily 
passed backward and forward, to and fro, 
through the other threads in making lace. 

MIME 

(starting off) Well, I'll be back to eat some 
lentils. 

BOY (too eagerly) 
You'd better hurry. 

MIME 

You seem to want to get rid of me. 

BOY (allaying suspicion) 

Well, I think you'd better go or you'll be late — 
and it's very wrong to be late. 

MIME 

(going toward the door) I think I'll — (chang- 
ing his mind) sit down. 

BOY (disappointed) 
Oh! 

MIME 

What would you say if I wasn't the Heads- 
man? 

BOY 

But you said you were. 

18 



WHILE THE LENTILS BOIL 

MIME 

I said maybe I was. 
BOY 

Aren't you ? 

MIME 

Maybe I'm not. 

BOY 

Honest? 

MIME 

Um, hum. 

BOY (relieved) 
Oh! . . . 

MIME 

You were afraid. 
BOY 

No ... I wasn't. 

MIME 

Would you fight? 

BOY 

You bet I would. 

MIME 

It wouldn't take me a minute to lick you. 
BOY 

Maybe it wouldn't; but I wouldn't give up right 

away. That would be cowardly. . . . Who 

are you? 
MIME 

I'm a mime — 

BOY 

What's a mime? 
MIME 

A mime's a mime. 

*9 



SIX WHO PASS 



BOY 

Go on and tell me. 

MIME 

A mime's a mountebank. 
BOY 

What's a mountebank? 
MIME 

A mountebank's a strolling player. 
BOY 

Are you going to perform for me ? 
MIME 

Not to-day — I'm on my way to the decapita- 
tion. 
BOY 

Do you want to see the decapitation? 
MIME 

Well, yes. But most of all, I want to pick up 

a few coins. 

BOY 

How? 

MIME 

Why, I'll perform after the Queen has lost her 
head. 

BOY 

Won't you be too sorry? 

MIME 

No. You see, I'll be thinking mostly about 
what I'm going to do. I have to do my best 
because it is hard to be more interesting than a 
decapitation. And after it's all over the crowd 
will begin to talk and to move about, and I'll 
have to rush up to the front of them and cry 
out at the top of my lungs, "Stop — Ho, for 
20 



WHILE THE LENTILS BOIL 

Jack the Juggler! Would you miss him? In 
London, where the king of kings lives, all the 
knights and ladies of the Court would leave a 
crowning to watch Jack the Juggler toss three 
golden balls with one hand or balance a weather- 
vane upon his nose." Then a silence will come 
upon the crowd and they will all turn to me. 
Someone will say, "Where is this Jack the Jug- 
gler?" And I shall answer, "Jack the Juggler, 
the greatest of the great, the pet of kings, en- 
tertainer to the Pope and the joy of Cathay 
stands before you." And I'll throw back my 
cloak and stand revealed. So ! Someone will 
then shout, "Let us have it, Jack !" So I'll draw 
my three golden balls from my pouch — like this 
— and then begin. (The Boy is watching 
breathlessly, and the Butterfly is interested, too. 
Their disappointment is keen when Jack does 
nothing.) 

BOY 

Aren't you going to show me? 

MIME 

No, I must be off. 
BOY 

Aren't you ever coming back? 

MIME 

Maybe, yes; perhaps, no. 
BOY 

I'll give you some lentils if you'll juggle the 

balls for me. 

MIME 

(sniffs the pot) They aren't cooked yet. 

BOY 

Let me hold your golden balls. 
21 



SIX WHO PASS 



MIME 

(takes a gold ball from his pouch and lets the 
Boy hold it) Here's one. 

BOY 

And do they pay you well ? 

MIME 

(taking the ball from the Boy) Ay, that they 
do. If I am as interesting as the beheading I'll 
get perhaps fifteen farthings in money and other 
things that I can exchange for food and raiment. 

BOY 

I'm going to be a mime and buy a castle and a 
sword. 

MIME 

Maybe so, and maybe not. Who knows ? . . . 
Good-bye. (He goes out.) 

BOY 

(to the Butterfly) If he had been the Dread- 
ful Headsman I would have slain him. So! 
. . . "Ah, wicked Headsman, you shall not 
behead the Queen! . . . Cross not that 
threshold, or I'll run you through." (Through- 
out this the Butterfly shows great interest and 
enters into the spirit of it, being absorbed at 
times and frightened at others. Enter the Milk- 
maid at door.) 

MILKMAID 

Pst! . . . Pst! 

BOY (startled) 
Oh! 

MILKMAID 

Are you going to the decapitation? 
22 



WHILE THE LENTILS BOIL 

BOY 

No. Arc you? 

MILKMAID 

That I am. 

BOY 

Will your mother let you go? 
MILKMAID 

She doesn't know. 
BOY 

Did you run away? 

MILKMAID 

No. I went out to milk the cow. 

BOY 

And did you do it? 

MILKMAID 

Yes. 

BOY 

Why didn't you wait until you came back? 
MILKMAID 

My mother was looking, and I had to let her 

see me doing something. 
BOY 

How did you get away when you took the milk 

pails into the house? 

MILKMAID 

I didn't take them in. As soon as my mother 
turned her back I hid the pails and I ran through 
here to take a short cut. 

BOY 

Where did you hide the milk? 
MILKMAID 

In the hollow tree. 

23 



SIX WHO PASS 



BOY 

Won't it sour? 

MILKMAID 

Maybe. 

BOY 

Won't your mother scold you? 

MILKMAID 

Yes, of course; but I couldn't miss the behead- 
ing. 

BOY 

Will you take the sour milk home? 

MILKMAID 

Yes; and after my mother scolds me, I'll make 
it into nice cheese and sell it to the King's Cook, 
and then mother will forgive me. 

BOY 

(sniffing the pot) You'd better hurry. It's 
nearly mid-day. Don't you smell the lentils? 

MILKMAID 

The Headsman hasn't started yet. 
boy (giggling) 

He'd better hurry. 

MILKMAID 

They can't find the Queen. 
BOY (so innocently) 
Did she escape? 

MILKMAID 

Yes. 

BOY 

Are they hunting for her? 

MILKMAID 

Yes; and they've offered a big reward to the 
person who finds her. 

24 



WHILE THE LENTILS BOIL 

BOY 

How much? 

MILKMAID 

A pail of gold and a pair of finger rings. 
BOY 

That's a good deal. . . . With a pail of gold 
I could buy my mother a velvet dress and a 
silken kerchief and a bonnet made of cloth of 
gold — and I could buy myself a milk-white 
palfry. 

MILKMAID 

And you'd never have to work again. 

BOY 

But she's such a gentle queen. Where are they 
hunting her? 

MILKMAID 

Everywhere. 

BOY 

Everywhere ! . . . Maybe she's waiting at 
the beheading block! 

MILKMAID 

Silly goose ! She wouldn't try to escape this 
way. She'd go in the opposite direction. 

BOY 

Do people always run in the opposite direction? 

MILKMAID 

Of course; everybody knows that. 

BOY 

I wish I could go. 

MILKMAID 

Come on. 

BOY 

Um — uh. The lentils might burn. 
25 



SIX WHO PASS 



MILKMAID 

Pour some cold water on them. 

BOY 

Um — huh. I promised I wouldn't leave the 
house. 

MILKMAID 

Oh, it will be wonderful I 

BOY 

The Mime will be there. 
MILKMAID 

The one with the long cloak and the golden 
balls? 

BOY 

Um — huh. 

MILKMAID 

Ooh! 

BOY 

How did you know? 

MILKMAID 

I saw him on the way to the market one day — 
and when my mother wasn't looking at me I 
gave him a farthing. 

BOY 

Is he a good juggler? 

MILKMAID 

He's magic ! Why, he can throw three golden 
balls in the air and catch them with one hand 
and then keep them floating in the air in a circle. 

BOY 

And can he balance a weathervane on his nose 
while it's turning? 

26 



WHILE THE LENTILS BOIL 

MILKMAID 

Yes; and he can balance an egg on the end of 
a long stick that is balanced on his chin ! 

BOY 

Oh — I wish I could see him. (Looks at the 
pot to see if the lentils are done.) 

MILKMAID 

Come on! 

BOY 

Well — (Begins to weaken, and just as he is 
about to start, the Butterfly flits past him into 
the Queen's room.) 

MILKMAID 

Oh — what a lovely butterfly! 

BOY 

No — No — I can't go. But you had better 
hurry. 

MILKMAID 

Well, I'll try to catch the butterfly first. 
BOY 

Oh, no; you mustn't touch that butterfly. 
MILKMAID 

Why? 

BOY 

Because — because he's my friend. 
MILKMAID 

Silly! 

BOY 

He i5 a good friend ; and he's the wisest butter- 
fly in the world. 

MILKMAID 

What can he do? 

27 



SIX WHO PASS 



BOY 

He can almost talk. 

MILKMAID 

Almost? . . . Oh, I know. I'm a goose. 
You want to play a trick on me so I'll miss the 
beheading. 

BOY 

You'd better hurry. 

MILKMAID 

I wish you'd come. 

boy (sadly) 

I can't. I've a duty to perform. 

MILKMAID 

Aren't duties always hard? (Both sigh. She 
takes up her milk pail.) 

boy 

What are you going to do with that pail? 

MILKMAID 

I'm going to stand on it. . . , Good-bye. 
(She goes out.) 

BOY 

Good-bye. (He watches for a moment, then 
goes to the pot and tries the lentils; then whis- 
pers through door to the Queen) The lentils 
are getting soft. (There is a fumbling in the 
passage and a voice is heard) Help the blind ! 
Help the blind! (The Butterfly returns to the 
top of the cupboard. The Blindman appears 
at the door.) 

PROLOGUE 

He's blind, but he'll show you how the blind 
can see. 

28 



WHILE THE LENTILS BOIL 

BLINDMAN (sniffing) 
Cooking lentils? 

BOY 

Yes. 

BLINDMAN 

Cook, which way to the beheading? 

BOY 

Keep straight ahead — the way you are going, 
old man. 

BLINDMAN 

Don't you want to take me with you? 

BOY 

I'm not going. 

BLINDMAN 

Not going to the beheading? 

BOY 

No; I have to cook the lentils. 

BLINDMAN 

Come on and go with me and maybe I'll give 
you a farthing. 

BOY 

I can't. 

BLINDMAN 

Yes, you can. Who else is here? 

BOY 

(swallozving — it's hard to fib) No one. 

BLINDMAN 

Can't you run away ? Your mother won't know 
you've gone. 

BOY 

It's my duty to stay here. 
29 



SIX WHO PASS 



BLINDMAN 

It's your duty to help a poor blindman, little 
boy. 

BOY 

Are you stone blind? 

BLINDMAN 

Yes. 

BOY 

Then how did you know I was a little boy? 

BLINDMAN 

Because you sound like a little boy. 

BOY 

Well, if you're stone blind, why do you want 
to go to the beheading? 

BLINDMAN 

I can see with my ears. 

BOY 

Aw — 

BLINDMAN 

Didn't I know you were a little boy? 

BOY 

Yes, but you had to guess twice. First you 
thought I was a cook. 

BLINDMAN 

Well, aren't you cooking lentils ? 

BOY 

Yes; but you can smell them. 

BLINDMAN 

Well, I see with my nose, too. 
BOY 

Aw — how can you see with your nose? 
30 



WHILE THE LENTILS BOIL 

BLINDMAN 

If you give me some bread I'll show you. 

BOY 

I can't give you any bread; but I'll give you 
some raw lentils. 

BLINDMAN 

All right. Give me lentils. 
BOY 

. . . I'll put them by the pot. Ready! 

BLINDMAN 

All right. (Sniffs. Walks to the pot and gets 
lentils and puts them in an old pouch) Isn't 
that seeing with my nose ? 

BOY 

H'm! (In wonder) Now see with your ears 
and I'll give you some more lentils. 

BLINDMAN 

All right. Speak. (The Boy gets behind the 
stool and speaks. The Blindman goes toward 
him. The Boy moves around stealthily.) 

BLINDMAN 

You're cheating. You've moved. 

BOY 

(jumping up on the bench) Well, where am I ? 

BLINDMAN 

You're standing on something. 

BOY 

How did you guess it? 

BLINDMAN 

I didn't guess it. I know it. 

BOY 

Why can't I do that? 

3i 



SIX WHO PASS 



BLINDMAN 

You can if you try; but it takes practice. 

BOY 

Can you see the door now? 

BLINDMAN 

No. I've turned around too many times. Be- 
sides, there is more than one doer. 

BOY 

Oh — m-m. . . . You aren't really blind! 

BLINDMAN 

Blind people learn to use what they have. Once 
I, too, could see with my eyes. 

BOY 

Just like me ? 

BLINDMAN 

Yes. And then I didn't take the trouble to see 
with my ears and my nose and my fingers — after 
I became blind I had to learn. . . . Why, I 
can tell whether a man who passes me at the 
palace gate is a poor man or a noble or a mer- 
chant. 

BOY 

How can you do that? 

BLINDMAN 

By the sound of the step. 

BOY 

Aw — how can you do that? 
BLINDMAN 

Shut your eyes and try it. 
BOY 

Well, I know what you are. That would be 
easy. 

32 



WHILE THE LENTILS BOIL 

BLINDMAN 

I'll pretend I'm somebody else. (Feels with 
his stick; touches bench. Feels around again.) 
BOY 

Why are you doing that? 

BLINDMAN 

To see how far I can walk without bumping into 
something. 

BOY 

Urn— 

BLINDMAN 

Ready? 

BOY 

(hides face in hands) Yes. 
BLINDMAN 

Don't peep. (The Boy tries hard not to.) 

BOY 

I won't. 

BLINDMAN 

All ready (shuffles like a commoner) Who 
was it? 

BOY 

A poor man. 

BLINDMAN 

See how easy? 

BOY 

I could see him as plain as if I had my eyes open. 
. . . Now try me again. 

BLINDMAN 

Ready? 

BOY 

All right. (The Blindman seems to grow in 

33 



SIX WHO PASS 



height. His face is filled with a rare brightness. 
He steadies himself a moment and then walks 
magnificently down the room.) 

boy (in beautiful wonder) 
A noble ! I could see him. 

BLINDMAN 

All you have to do is try. 

BOY 

I always thought it was terrible to be blind. 

BLINDMAN 

Sometimes it is. 
BOY 

But I thought everything was black. 

BLINDMAN 

It used to be until I taught myself how to see. 

BOY 

Why is it terrible sometimes? 

BLINDMAN 

Because I cannot help the poor who need help. 
If I had money 1 could feed the hungry and 
clothe the poor little beggar children in winter ! 

BOY 

Would a pail of gold and a pair of finger rings 
help you feed the hungry and clothe the poor 
little beggar children in winter? 

BLINDMAN 

A pail of gold! I have dreamed of what I 
might do with so much wealth ! 

BOY 

I can get a pail of gold if I break a promise. 

BLINDMAN 

Would you break a promise? 

34 



WHILE THE LENTILS BOIL 

BOY 

. . . No — but — No! 

BLINDMAN 

Of course you wouldn't. 
BOY 

I couldn't break, a promise for two pails of gold. 

BLINDMAN 

Nor twenty-two, little boy. 

BOY 

When you walked like a noble I saw a beautiful 
man behind my eyes with a crown of gold. 

BLINDMAN 

If you broke a promise for a pail of gold and 
two finger rings you would never see a beautiful 
noble with a crown of gold when you closed your 
eyes. . . . 

BOY 

Can blind men see beautiful things even when 
it's rainy? 

BLINDMAN 

Blindmen can always see beautiful things if they 
try. Clouds and rain are beautiful to me, and 
when I get wet I think of the sunshine. I saw 
sunshine with my eyes when I was a little boy. 
Now I see it with my whole body when it warms 
me. I saw rain with my eyes when I was a little 
boy. Now I see it with my hands when it falls 
on them — drop — drop — drop — dropity — 
dropity — and I love it because it makes the 
lentils grow. 

BOY 

I never thought of that. Rain makes me stay 
indoors, and I never like it except in June. 

3S 



SIX WHO PASS 



BLINDMAN 

You donjt have to stay in for long. 

BOY 

Can blind men see beautiful things in a behead- 
ing? 

BLINDMAN 

No. But I must be there with the crowd. I 
shall tell stories to the people and perhaps they 
will give me food or money. 

BOY 

Can't you stay and tell me stories? 

BLINDMAN 

No. I must be on my way. . . . If I do not 
see the beheading I cannot tell about it when I 
meet someone who was not there.- Oh, I shall 
make a thrilling tale of it. 

BOY 

Tell it to me when you come back. 

BLINDMAN 

If you give me some cooked lentils. 

BOY 

I'll save you some.- 
BLINDMAN 

Are the lentils nearly doner 
BOY 

Half. 

BLINDMAN 

I must be on my way then. . . . Good-bye. 

(Starting to go in the wrong direction.) 
BOY 

Here's the door. 

BLINDMAN 

Thank you, little boy. . . . Don't forget to 

36 



WHILE THE LENTILS BOIL 

see with your ears and nose and fingers. ( The 
Blindman goes out.) 

BOY 

I won't. 

BLINDMAN 

Good-bye. 

BOY 

Good-bye. ( The Boy covers his eyes and tries 
to see with his ears and his nose) It's easier 
with the ears. (Singing is heard. Enter the 
Ballad-Singer.) 

SINGER 
Hello ! 

BOY 

Hello ! 

SINGER 

How are you? 

BOY 

I'm very well. 
SINGER 

That's good. 

BOY 

Thank you. 
SINGER 

Cooking? 
BOY 

Yes. 

SINGER 

(coming into room) Something good? 

BOY 

Lentils. 

SINGER 

Give me some? 

37 



SIX WHO PASS 



BOY 

They aren't done. 

SINGER 

Nearly. I can smell them. 

BOY 

Do you like them? 
SINGER 

When I'm hungry. 

BOY 

Are you hungry now? 

SINGER 

I'm always hungry. (They laugh.) 

BOY 

Were you singing? 
SINGER 

Yes. 
BOY 

Do you like to sing? 

SINGER 

When I get something for my ballads. 
BOY 

Are you a ballad-singer? 

SINGER 

Yes. 

BOY 

Sing one for me? 

SINGER 

Give me some lentils? 

BOY 

I'll give you some raw lentils. 
SINGER 

I want some of the cooked ones. 

38 



, 



WHILE THE LENTILS BOIL 

BOY 

They aren't done. 
SINGER 

Are they nearly done? 
BOY 

More than half. 
SINGER 

I like them that way. 
BOY 

All right. Sing me a ballad. 

SINGER 

Well, give me the lentils first. 
BOY 

Oh, no; sing the ballad first. 
SINGER 

No, sir; give me the lentils first. 

BOY 

That isn't fair. 
SINGER 

Why not ? After I sing to you maybe you won't 

pay me. 
BOY 

Yes, I will. 

SINGER 

Then why not pay me first? 
BOY 

You might not sing. 

SINGER (laughing) 
Yes, I will. 

boy (laughing) 

Well, I'll give you some lentils at the end of 
each verse. 

39 



SIX WHO PASS 



SINGER 

That's a bargain. 

BOY 

Sing. 
singer (sings one line) 

Six stalwart sons the miller had — 
Give me the lentils. 

BOY 

Finish that verse. 

SINGER 

I did finish it. 
BOY 

Now that's not fair. You only sang a line. 

SINGER 

Well, a line's a verse. 

BOY 

(with a gesture that indicates how long a verse 

ought to be) I meant a whole verse. 
SINGER 

(mimicking the gesture) A line's a whole verse. 
BOY 

Oh, now, be fair; I mean a whole , whole verse. 
SINGER 

You mean a stanza. 
BOY 

I always heard it called a verse. 
SINGER 

Well, keep to the bargain. I sang a verse. Give 

me some lentils. 

BOY 

(rising and taking a very few lentils on his 
spoon) Next time I mean a stanza. . . . 
40 



WHILE THE LENTILS BOIL 

Here are some lentils. (The Ballad-Singer 
eyes the meager portion, cools it and eats.) 

SINGER 
Stingy. 

BOY 

Isn't that some lentils? 

singer (laughs) 
Well— 

BOY 

Now begin again. 

SINGER 

At the end of every stanza a spoonful of lentils. 

BOY 

I didn't say a spoonful. 

SINGER 

(starts to go) Very well, I won't sing a ballad. 

BOY 

All right. I'll give you a spoonful at the end 
of each — stanza. (He sits on the floor by the 
pot of lentils.) 

singer (sings) 

The Ballad of the Miller and his Six Sons 

Six stalwart sons the miller had — 

All brave and fair to see — 
He taught them each a worthy trade 

And they grew gallantly. 
Tara — da — da — da-da-da — da-da-da 

Tara — da — da — da-de — da-dee. 

Give me some lentils. 
BOY 

Here. . . . Hurry up. 
4i 



SIX WHO PASS 



SINGER (sings) 

The first was John of the dimpled chin — 

And a fist of iron had he — 
He learned to wield the broadsword well 

And turned to soldiery. 
Tara — da — da, etc. 

BOY 

Please! Please don't stop! 

SINGER 

Keep to the bargain. 

BOY 

Here, take two spoonfuls and finish without 
stopping. 

SINGER (sings rest of ballad) 

The second son was christened Hugh — 

And curly locks had he — 
He learned to use the tabor and lute 

And turned to minstrelsy. 
Tara — da — da, etc. 

The third was James of the gentle ways, 

And speech of gold had he — 
He learned his psalms and learned his creed 

And turned to simony. 
Tara — da — da, etc. 

The fourth was Dick of the hazel eye, 

And a steady hand had he — 
With a hammer and saw and a chest of tools 

He turned to carpentry. 
Tara — da — da, etc. 

42 



WHILE THE LENTILS BOIL 

The fifth was Ned of the velvet tread, 
And feather fingers had he — 

He used his gifts in a naughty way 
And turned to burglary. 

Tara — da — da, etc. 

The sixth was Robin, surnamed the Rare — 

For always young was he — 
He learned the joy of this sunny world 

And turned to poetry. 
Tara — da — da, etc. 

The miller approached three score and ten — 

A happy man was he — 
His five good sons and the one who was bad 

All turned to gallantry. 
Tara — da — da, etc. 

BOY 

Sing me another. 

SINGER 

A spoonful at the end of every stanza. 
BOY 

Don't stop after you begin. 

SINGER 

Pay me in advance. 
BOY 

I suppose I'll have to. (He feeds the Ballad- 
Singer.) 

SINGER (sings second ballad) 

The Ballad of the Three Little Pigs 
Two little pigs were pink — pink — pink — 
And one little pig was black — black — 
The three little pigs were very good friends, 
But one little pig was black — black. 

43 



SIX WHO PASS 



Three little pigs would play — play — play — 
But one little pig was black — black — 
And three little pigs would have a jolly time, 
Though one little pig was black — black. 

Three little pigs soon grew — grew — grew — 
And one little pig was black — black. 
The three little pigs became fat hogs — 
And one fat hog was black — black. 

The two fat hogs were pink — pink — pink — 
And one fat hog was black — black. 
The three fat hogs all made good ham, 
Though one fat hog was black — black. 

BOY 

Sing me another. 

SINGER 

I can't. I'm tired. 

BOY 

Are you going to sing those at the beheading? 

SINGER 

What beheading? 

BOY 

At the Queen's beheading? 

SINGER 

Where? 

BOY 

Over there. 

SINGER 

When? 

BOY 

To-day. 

44 




6D 

C 

1 

CQ 




6 



WHILE THE LENTILS BOIL 

SINGER 

I must be going. Certainly I'll sing there, and 
I'll take up a collection. 

BOY 

It's going to be before the King's four clocks 
strike twelve. 

SINGER 

It's nearly time now. If I can collect a piece 
of gold I can buy a vermilion robe and sing at 
the King's court. 

BOY 

I could collect a pail of gold and two finger 
rings and sit at the feet of the King if I'd break 
a promise. 

SINGER 

Perhaps you will. 

BOY 

Would you? 
SINGER 

I'd rather sing along the highway all my life. 

It is better to dream of a vermilion robe than 

to have one that is not honestly got. 

BOY 

The Blindman said something like that. 

SINGER 

Who said what? 

BOY 

The Blindman said if I broke a promise I'd 
never again see a beautiful noble with a golden 
crown when I closed my eyes. 

SINGER 

He was right. 

45 



SIX WHO PASS 



BOY 

When you get your vermilion robe will you 
let me see it? 

SINGER 

That I will. . . . Good-bye. 
Good-bye. (Singer goes out.) 

BOY 

(hums a snatch of the ballads.) 
(The Headsman steps into the door and plants 
his axe beside him for an impressive picture. 
The Boy turns and starts in terror.) 

HEADSMAN 

Have you seen the Queen? 

BOY 

Sir? 

HEADSMAN 

Have you seen the Queen? 

BOY 

How should I, sir? I've been cooking the len- 
tils. 

HEADSMAN 

She is here ! 

EOY 

How — could — she — be — here, sir? 

HEADSMAN 

Well, if she isn't here, where is she? 

BOY (relieved) 

I don't know where she is if she isn't here, sir. 

HEADSMAN 

She has too much sense to hide so near the castle 
and on the short cut to the headsman's block. 
. . . Do you know who I am ? 

46 



WHILE THE LENTILS BOIL 

BOY 

I think so — sir. 

HEADSMAN 

Think? Don't you know? 

BOY 

Yes, sir. 

HEADSMAN 

Who am I, then? 

BOY 

You're the Dreadful Headsman. 

HEADSMAN 

I am the winder of the King's four clocks, and 
when I am needed I am the best headsman in 
three kingdoms. And this is my axe. 

BOY 

Is it sharp? 

HEADSMAN 

It will split a hare in two. (Runs finger near 

blade meaningly.) 
BOY 

Oh! 

HEADSMAN 

A hare in two ! 
BOY 

Would you really cut off the Queen's head? 

HEADSMAN 

That's my business — to cut off heads — and the 
nobler the head, the better my business. 

BOY 

She's such a nice queen. 

HEADSMAN 

Have you seen her? 

47 



SIX WHO PASS 



BOY 

Y — es, sir. 

HEADSMAN 

When? 

BOY 

One day — when I was boiling some lentils. 

HEADSMAN 

Did you see her neck? 

BOY 

Yes, sir. 

HEADSMAN 

Not much bigger than a hare. 

BOY (desperately friendly) 
Have you seen my knife? 

HEADSMAN (sharply) 

I'm talking about the Queen, and I'm going to 
talk about myself until I hear the King's trum- 
peter calling me to the beheading. 

BOY 

Yes, sir. (Edging between the bench and door 
of the room where the Queen is hidden.) 

HEADSMAN 

Sit down. 

BOY 

I'd rather stand, sir. 

HEADSMAN 

Sit down! And I'll tell you how I'm going to 
behead the Queen. 

BOY 

You can't behead her after the King's four 
clocks have struck twelve. ^ 

4 8 



WHILE THE LENTILS BOIL 

HEADSMAN 

How did you know that? 

BOY 

(realizing his blunder) Well — 

HEADSMAN 

Nobody knows that except the royal family and 
people of the court. 

BOY 

A little — bird told — me. 

HEADSMAN 

Where is the little bird that I may cut its head 
off? 

BOY 

Don't hurt the little bird; but tell me how you 
are going to behead the Queen. 

HEADSMAN 

Well — (At the stool) This is the block. 
There's the Queen behind the iron gate. We'll 
say that door is the gate. (The Boy starts) 
And out there is the crowd. Now, I appear 
like this and walk up the steps. The crowd 
cheers, so I bow and show myself and my axe. 
(He bows elaborately three times and then 
poses for one magnificent moment) Then I 
walk over to the gate — 

BOY 

Don't go in there. That's my mother's room, 
and you might frighten her. 

HEADSMAN 

Who's in your mother's room? 

BOY 

She is. 

49 



SIX WHO PASS 



HEADSMAN 

Well, if she's in there, maybe she'd like to hear 
my story. 

BOY 

She's in bed. 

HEADSMAN 

Sick? (The Boy nods vigorously) All right. 
Well, I've bowed to the crowd and I 
start for the Queen — If you won't open the 
door, you pretend you're the Queen. 

BOY 

I don't want to be the Queen. 

HEADSMAN 

Come on and pretend. I walk up to the gate — 
so, and open it, and then I say, "Your Majesty, 
I'm going to cut off your head," and she bows 
— Bow — (The Boy bows) And then I say, 
"Are you ready?" and she says, "I am ready." 
Then I blindfold her — 

BOY 

Now, don't blindfold me, sir! 

HEADSMAN 

I'm showing you how it's done. 

BOY 

But if you blindfold me I can't see you when you 
do it. 

HEADSMAN 

(admitting the point) All right. . . . Then 
I blindfold her and I lead her to the block and 
I say, "Have you made your peace with 
Heaven?" and she says, "Yes." . . . 

5° 



WHILE THE LENTILS BOIL 

BOY 

If you won't tell me any more I'll give you my 
knife. 

HEADSMAN 

Aren't you interested? 

BOY 

Yes; but your axe is so sharp, and it might slip. 

HEADSMAN 

Sharp? It will cut a hair in two; but I know 
how to handle it. . . . 

BOY 

How do you spell hair? 

HEADSMAN 

Either way. . . . Come on. . . . (The 
Boy reluctantly falls into the picture again) 
And then. . . . (Raising his axe) And then. 
(Headsman sees the Butterfly) And 
then. . . . How-d'-ye-do, Butterfly (The 
Boy runs to the pot unnoticed by the Heads- 
man.) 
BOY 

Lentils, lentils, boil the time away, 

That my good queen may live to-day. 

(The Headsman and the Butterfly are having 

quite a game. Suddenly the great clock begins 

to strike and the two next larger follow slowly. 

The Headsman rushes to the back door with 

his axe.) 

HEADSMAN 

Why doesn't the trumpeter blow his call ? (The 
Boy counts the strokes of the clock, and as the 
third clock strikes twelve he rushes to the door 
of the bedroom.) 

51 



SIX WHO PASS 



BOY 

Queen ! Queen ! It's mid-day ! 

HEADSMAN 

Queen — Queen — (He strides to the bedroom 
and drags the Queen out) The little clock 
hasn't struck yet ! (He pulls the Queen toward 
the rear door and shouts) Here ! Here ! Don't 
let the little clock strike ! I've won the pail of 
gold! ( The Boy has set the bench in the door- 
way so that the Headsman stumbles. The But- 
terfly keeps flying against the Headsman's nose, 
which makes him sneeze.) 
BOY 

No one heard you ! 

QUEEN 

Let me go ! Let me go ! 

HEADSMAN 

(sneezing as only a headsman can) The Queen ! 
The Queen! (The little clock begins to strike. 
The Boy counts eagerly, one, two, three, etc. 
Between strokes the Headsman sneezes and 
shouts) The Queen! The Queen! (At the 
fifth stroke the Headsman falls on his knees. 
The Queen becomes regal, her foot on his neck. 
The Boy kneels at her side.) 

QUEEN 

Base villain ! According to the law I am saved ! 
But you are doomed. As Winder of the King's 
four clocks the law commands that you be de- 
capitated because the four clocks did not strike 
together. Do you know that law? 

HEADSMAN 

Oh, Lady, I do; but I did but do my duty. I 

52 



WHILE THE LENTILS BOIL 

was sharpening my axe this morning and I 
couldn't wind the clocks. Intercede for me. 

QUEEN 

It is useless. 

BOY 

Is there any other headsman? 

QUEEN 

The law says the Chief Headsman must behead 
the Chief Winder of the King's four clocks. 

BOY 

Can the Dreadful Headsman behead himself? 

QUEEN 

Aye, there's the difficulty. 

HEADSMAN 

Oh, your Majesty, pardon me! 

BOY 

Yes, pardon him. 

QUEEN 

On one condition : He is to give his axe to the 
museum and devote all his old age to the care 
of the King's four clocks. . . . For myself, I 
shall pass a law requiring the ladies of the court 
to wear no jewels. So, if the King's aunt can 
wear no rings, she assuredly cannot have a ring- 
toe, and hereafter I may step where I please. 
. . . Sir Headsman, lead the way. . . . 
And now, my little boy, to you I grant every 
Friday afternoon an hour's sport with the 
Mime; a spotted cow for the little Milkmaid; a 
cushion and a canopy at the palace gate for the 
Blindman; a vermilion cloak for the Ballad- 
Singer; a velvet gown, a silken kerchief, and a 
cloth-of-gold bonnet for your mother, and for 

53 



SIX WHO PASS 



yourself a milk-white palfry, two pails of gold, 
two finger rings, a castle, and a sword. . . . 
Arise, Sir Little-Boy. . . . Your arm. 

BOY 

May I take my knife, your Majesty? 

QUEEN 

That you may. (He gets the knife and returns 
to her. She lays her hand on his arm) Sir 
Headsman, announce our coming. 

HEADSMAN 

Make way — make way for her Majesty the 
Queen. 

queen (correcting) 
And Sir Little-Boy. 

headsman 

What's his other name, your Majesty? 

BOY 

(whispering with the wonder of it all) Davie. 

QUEEN 

(to the Headsman) Davie. 

HEADSMAN 

Make way — make way for her Majesty the 
Queen and Sir Davie Little-Boy. (They go 
out. Immediately the Boy returns and gets the 
pot of lentils and runs after the Queen as 



The Curtains Close.) 



54 



Stewart Kidd Dramatic Anthologies 

Fifty Contemporary One-Act Plays 

Edited by 
FRANK SHAY and PIERRE LOVING 

THIS volume contains FIFTY REPRESENTATIVE ONE-ACT PLAYS 
of the MODERN THEATER, chosen from the dramatic works of con- 
temporary writers all over the world and is the second volume in the 
Stewart Kidd Dramatic Anthologies, the first being European Theories of the 
Drama, by Barrett H. Clark, which has been so enthusiastically received. 

The editors have scrupulously sifted countless plays and have selected the 
best available in English. One-half the plays have never before been pub- 
lished in book form; thirty-one are no longer available in any other edition. 
The work satisfies a long-felt want for a handy collection of the choicest 
plays produced by the art theaters all over the world. It is a complete reper- 
tory for a little theater, a volume for the study of the modern drama, a rep- 
resentative collection of the world's best short plays. 

CONTENTS 



AUSTRIA 

Schnitzler (Arthur) — Literature 
BELGIUM 

Maeterlinck (Maurice)— The Intruder 
BOLIVIA 

More (Federico) — Interlude 
FRANCE 

Ancey (George) — M. Lamblin 

Porto-Riche (Georges) — Francoises Luck 
GERMANY 

Ettinger (Karl) — Altruism 

von Hofmannsthal (Hugo) — Madonna Dia- 
nora 

Wedekind (Frank)— The Tenor 
GREAT BRITAIN 

Bennett (Arnold) — A Good Woman 

Calderon (George) — The Little Stone 
House. 

Cannan (Gilbert) — Mary's Wedding 

Dowson (Ernest) — The Pierrot of the Min- 
ute. 

Ellis (Mrs. Havelock) — The Subjection 
of Kezia 

Hankin (St. John) — The Constant Lover 
INDIA 

Mukerji (Dhan Gopal) — The Judgment of 
Indra 
IRELAND 

Gregory (Lady) — The Workhouse Ward 
HOLLAND 

Speenhoff (J. H.) — Louise 
HUNGARY 

Biro (Lajos) — The Grandmother 
ITALY 

Giocosa (Giuseppe) — The Rights of the 
Soul 
RUSSIA 

Andreyev (Leonid) — Love of One's Neigh- 
bor 

Tchekoff (Anton) — The Boor 



SPAIN 

Benevente (Jacinto) — His Widow's Hus- 
band 
Quinteros (Serafina and Joaquin Alverez) 

— A Sunny Morning 
SWEDEN 

Strindberg (August) — The Creditor 
Wied (Gustave) — Autumn Fires 
UNITED STATES 

Beach (Lewis) — Brothers 
Cowan (Sada) — In the Morgue 
Crocker (Bosworth) — The Baby Carriage 
Cronyn (George W.) — A Death in Fever 

Flat 
Davies (Mary Carolyn) — The Slave with 

Two Faces 
Day (Frederick L.)— The Slump 
Planner (Hildegard) — Mansions 
Glaspell (Susan)— Trifles 
Gerstenberg (Alice) — The Pot Boiler 
Helburn (Theresa)— Enter the Hero 
Hudson (Holland)— The Shepherd in the 

Distance 
Kemp (Harry) — Boccaccio's Untold Tale 
Langner (Lawrence) — Another Way Out 
MacMillan (Mary) — The Shadowed Star 
Millay (Edna St. Vincent) — Aro da Capo 
Moeller (Philip) — Helena's Husband 
O'Neill (Eugene) — He 
Stevens (Thomas Wood) — The Nursery 

Maid of Heaven 
Stevens (Wallace) — Three Travelers Watch 

a Sunrise 
Tompkins (Frank G.) — Sham 
Walker (Stuart)— The Medicine Show 
Wellman (Rita)— For All Time 
Wilde (Percival) — The Finger of God 
YIDDISH 

Ash (Sholom)— Night 

Pinski (David) — Forgotten Souls 



Large Svo, 585 pages. Net, $5.00 



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MORE SHORT PLAYS 

By MARY MacMILLAN 



Plays that act well may read well. Miss MacMillan's 
Plays are good reading. Nor is literary excellence a detriment 
to dramatic performance. 

This volume contains eight Plays: 

His Second Girl. One-act comedy, just before the Civil War. 
Interior, 45 minutes. Three women, three men. 

At the Church Door. Fantastic farce, one act, 10 to 30 minutes. 
Interior. Present. Two women, two men. 

Honey. Four short acts. Present, in the southern mountains. 
Same interior cabin scene throughout. Three women, one 
man, two girls. 

The Dress Rehearsal of Hamlet. One-act costume farce. 
Present. Interior. Forty-five minutes. Ten women taking 
men's parts. 

The Pioneers. Five very short acts. 1791 in Middle-West. 
Interior. Four men, five women, five children, five Indians. 

In Mendelesia, Part I. Costume play, Middle Ages. Interior. 
Thirty minutes or more. Four women, one man-servant. 

In Mendelesia, Part II. Modern realism of same plot. One 
act. Present. Interior. Thirty minutes. Four women, one 
maid-servant. 

The Dryad. Fantasy in free verse, one act. Thirty minutes. 
Outdoors. Two women, one man. Present. 

These plays, as well as SHORT PLAYS, have been pre- 
sented by clubs and schools in Boston, New York, Buffalo, 
Detroit, Cleveland, New Orleans, San Francisco, etc., and by 
the Portmanteau Theatre, the Chicago Art Institute Theatre, 
the Denver Little Art Theatre, at Carmel-by-the-Sea in 
California, etc. 

Handsomely bound and uniform with S. & K. Dramatic Series. 
i2mo. Cloth. Net, $2.50; tf Turkey Morocco, Net, $8.50. 



STEWART 

Publishers 



& KIDD COMPANY 

Cincinnati, U. S. A. 



SHORT PLAYS 

By MARY MacMILLAN 



To fill a long-felt want. All have been successfully pre- 
sented. Suitable for Women's Clubs, Girls' Schools, etc. 
While elaborate enough for big presentation, they may be 
given very simply. 

This volume contains ten Plays: 

The Shadowed Star has six women, one boy; may all be taken 
by women. Time, present. Scene, in a tenement Christmas 
Eve. One act, 45 minutes. 

The Ring. Costume play. Time, days of Shakespeare. Three 
women, seven men. Scene, interior. One act, 45 minutes. 

The Rose. One woman, two men. Time, Elizabethan. Scene, 
castle interior. One act, 30 minutes. Song introduced. 

Luck. Four short acts. Time, present. Interior scene. 
Seven women, six men. Comedy. 

Entre' Acte. Costume play. Time, present. Scene, interior. 
Two women, one man. Contains a song. One act. 

A Woman s a Woman for A' That. Time, present. Interior 
scene. One act, 45 minutes. Three women, two men. Comedy. 

A Fan and Two Candlesticks. Costume play, Colonial times. 
Scene, interior. Two men, one woman. One act, 20 to 30 
minutes. Written in rhymed couplets. 

A Modern Masque. Time, present. Scene, outdoors. Fan- 
tastic, written in prose and verse. Costume play in one act, 
30 minutes or more. Four women, three men. 

The Futurists. One-act farce, of the first woman's club of the 
early eighties. Interior. Forty-five minutes Eight women. 

The Gate of Wishes. One-act fantasy. Outdoors. Half hour. 
One girl, one man. Singing voices of fairies. 

Handsomely bound and uniform with S. & K. Dramatic Series. 
i2mo. Cloth, Net, $2.50; % Turkey Morocco, Net, $8.50. 



STEWART & KIDD COMPANY 

Publishers Cincinnati, U. S. A. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

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STEWART KIDD 

DRAMATIC PUBLICATIONS 



The Truth About the Theater Anonymous $1.25 

European Theories of the Drama Barrett H. Clark 5.00 

ContemporaryFrenchDramatists Barrett H. Clark 2.50 

Four Plays of the Free Theater . . Barrett H. Clark 2.50 
The Provincetown Plays 

Geo. Cram Cook & Frank Shay, Editors 2.50 

The Two Cromwells Liddell DeLesseline 1.50 

Plays and Players Walter Prichard Eaton 3.00 

The Antigone of Sophocles 

Prof. Jos. Edward Harry 1.25 

The Changing Drama Archibald Henderson 2.50 

European Dramatists Archibald Henderson 3.00 

George Bernard Shaw: His Life and Works 

A rchibald Henderson 7.50 
Fifty Contemporary One Act Plays 

Compiled by Pierre Loving & Frank Shay 5.00 

Short Plays Mary MacMillan 2.50 

More Short Plays Mary MacMillan 2.50 

The Gift Margaret Douglas Rogers 1.00 

Comedies of Words and Other Plays 

Arthur Schnitzler, Translated by Pierre Loving 2.50 

Lucky Pehr August Strindberg 2.50 

Translated by Velma Swanston Howard 

Easter August Strindberg 2.50 

Translated by Velma Swanston Howard 

The Hamlet Problem and its Solution 

EmersonV enable 1.50 

Portmanteau Plays Stuart Walker, net 2.50 

More Portmanteau Plays . . . .Stuart Walker, net 2.50 

Portmanteau Adaptations. . . Stuart Walker, net 2.50 

Stewart Kidd Modern Plays 

Mansions Hildegarde Flanner .50 

The Shepherd in the Distance. .Holland Hudson .50 

Hearts to Mend H. A. Overstreet .50 

Sham Frank G. Tompkins .50 

Six Who Pass While the Lentils Boil 

Stuart Walker .50 

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